Sunday, April 2, 2017

Mosul campaign Day 166-167 March 31-April 1, 2017

The Federal Police and Rapid Reaction Division are holding
down Islamic State forces in the Old City along the Tigris River while the
Golden Division are moving up its flank and advancing in the west fighting in
areas such as Yarmouk (Medecins Sans Frontieres)

Federal Police fighting in the Old City district of west
Mosul (Reuters)

For the first time the Islamic State was able to seize some
territory from the Iraqi forces (ISF) inside Mosul. The insurgents took
the Rajim al-Hadid neighborhood that was just freed on March 22. The
area was being held by a tribal Hashd unit probably made up of locals. The Golden
Division was still fighting in Yarmouk as well away and to the west of the Old
City. A member of the Ninewa security committee said
that there have been no real advances by the police for the last 15 days in the
Old City. That stalemate has led to a revision of the battle plan. While the
police hold down Islamic State fighters in the Old City, the Golden Division is
moving up the flank to surround the district, while taking areas in the western
section of the city.

In a rare announcement the Federal Police commander General
Raed Shakir Jawadat stated
that he’d lost 325 officers in the fighting in west Mosul. An American general testified
to Congress a few days before that there had been 490 ISF fatalities in the
battle for the western half of the city. That was immediately denied by the
Iraqis. The stance of the ISF and government has been to not report casualties
and deny any reports that have large numbers so this was a decided change in
policy.

The Los
Angeles Times talked with survivors of the Jadida incident. As reported on
the first day the story emerged people told the Times that two buildings came
down in the bombing. The owner of one of the houses had been allowing people to
shelter inside to escape the fighting. Two structures collapsing would help
explain the high casualty figures.

The Jadida bombing has led the U.S. led Coalition to change
its procedures. Colonel Joseph Scrocca was quoted in the New
York Times that IS is herding people into buildings and baiting them to be
attacked by the Coalition to discredit the alliance. That has led to the
Coalition to rethink its targeting. What the revisions were was not divulged to
the press.

Time
magazine spoke with people who were used as human shields by the Islamic State.
One family was moved from place to place inside Mosul for 9 days before they
were able to escape. Many of these civilians became victims of air strikes.
Amnesty International’s Donatella Rovera interviewed
some of them. The Islamic State changed its tactics during the battle for west
Mosul. At first, insurgents were using human shields just to cover their
retreat. When they were setting up fighting positions in buildings they would
kick people out so they would not get in their way. When the fighting started
however, they began to not only keep people inside the houses, but are now
forcing groups into them so that they will not be hit by the Iraqis or
Coalition. Unfortunately there is no way to tell what buildings have civilians
and which do not when calling in air strikes or artillery, which is leading to
a sharp rise in casualties.

Canada’s Defense Ministry announced
that its Special Forces were now involved in Mosul. There are around 200 Canadian
special operatives in Iraq right now. Before they stayed out of the city, but
now they are in both the east and west sides. They join American and French Special
Forces that have been working in Mosul from the start. Other Coalition members
such as the British may be involved as well.

Responsibility for securing east Mosul continues to change. First,
Police General Wathiq al-Hamdani said
that 5 police directorates and 14 stations were opening. There was also a
combat regiment from the emergency police to help with security. The police
were supposed to be given the primary role in the east, but that has not
happened yet. Second, the joint command headquarters that was just opened on
March 23 was closed.
The HQ was supposed to coordinate the security forces and intelligence
agencies, but the government claimed that was no longer necessary. Instead the
Ninewa Operations Command is now in charge. East Mosul is being policed by a
number of groups ranging from the police to the army to the Hashd to local
security groups, and the National Security Service. All of these organizations
operate independently and often in competition with each other. This has led to
several confrontations. The joint operations command was supposed to bring
order to this hodgepodge of groups, but didn’t last long enough to have an
impact. That job is now left to the Ninewa Operations. That obviously has more
organizational know how, but is also still involved with the on going military
campaign as well, which may stretch its resources.

The Associated
Press went to a private hospital in Qayara that is being overwhelmed by
casualties from Mosul. There are only two hospitals south of the city. There
are also trauma centers inside Mosul and facilities in Irbil that are all
taking in people. The Qayara hospital said it had treated 600 battle casualties
since January 2017. It complained that the government was not providing any
help. All of these facilities are running into the same problems. They don’t
have space or supplies to handle the wounded.

There were three new stories on the displaced. Agence
France Presse talked with people who are moving within Mosul. They are
migrating from one neighborhood to another to avoid the fighting and then
returning as soon as they can. This happened in the west as well. They are
usually motivated by wanting to protect their property, so do not want to move
far away. The Los
Angeles Times interviewed squatters in Hamam al-Alil. There are displaced camps
in the town, but they are overfilled. That has led people to set up tents and
take over abandoned buildings in the area. Again, many of these displaced want
to get back into Mosul as soon as possible and are willing to stay out in the
elements as a result. Finally another AFP
reporter was told about the trauma displaced children suffered from. Some were
being more aggressive, some run when they see adults, others hit other
children. There is no real treatment available for them, and is another
reminder of the deep scars this battle is leaving with the population.

SOURCES

AIN, “What are the obstacles hindering the troops’ progress
in the Old City in Mosul?” 4/1/17

IRAQ HISTORY TIMELINE

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About Me

Musings On Iraq was started in 2008 to explain the political, economic, security and cultural situation in Iraq via original articles and interviews. If you wish to contact me personally my email is: motown67@aol.com